Officially – monsoons are here

And with them comes a welcome easing in fire danger, although not an end.

“There’s a monsoonal ridge moving into the right place,” Aldis Strautins, a meteorologist and hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said Monday.

“We have a ridge of high pressure over Texas and Oklahoma that is bringing moisture from the Gulf of California and to a lesser degree from the Gulf of Mexico into the Southwest,” Strautins said. “This occurs with the seasonal wind shift.”

As a result of thunderstorms in the last week, enough moisture has reached the San Juan National Forest to eliminate fire restrictions at 8,500 feet elevation and above, and reduce restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 at lower elevations, effective Wednesday, the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center said Monday.

“Fire managers have determined that lower and middle elevations remain dry and potentially flammable,” the agency said in a statement. “Higher elevations have received enough moisture to significantly reduce fire danger.”

The Bureau of Land Management also announced Monday that effective Wednesday, it is downgrading from Stage 2 to Stage 1 fire restrictions in La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma and Dolores counties. Stage 1 restrictions will remain in place in Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, Saguache, San Juan and San Miguel counties.

Fire restrictions, more severe at lower elevations, affect campfires, smoking and the use of tools such as chain saws and explosives in the national forest and in unincorporated La Plata County.

Meanwhile, the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center reported a half-dozen small wildfires Sunday and Sunday night. The fires, the majority about one-tenth of an acre, were reported from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe reservation to Pagosa Springs to Vallecito.

Butch Knowlton, director of emergency preparedness for La Plata County, said county commissioners on Wednesday will consider reverting from Stage 2 to Stage 1 restrictions on all private land in the county.

“We’ll see, with the precipitation, whether we can rescind Stage 2 and go back to Stage 1,” Knowlton said.

The erratic nature of the monsoons will require some discussion on the county’s decision regarding the bans.

“The monsoons are very hit or miss,” said Travis Booth, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. “There are areas that received a lot more precipitation and others that received a lot less.”

At the Durango-La Plata County Airport from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service’s instruments measured 0.08 inches of precipitation, with an additional 0.12 inches by 8 p.m. Monday. Month to date as of 5 p.m., the equipment had measured 0.75 inches of precipitation.

In contrast, the station measured 0.02 inches in the entire month of June.

Meanwhile,the weather service site northeast of Durango at 10,000 feet of elevation received 1.42 inches between 1 and 8 p.m., when it was still sprinkling.

Bill Butler, who reports from Rafter J in southwest La Plata County, had received 0.44 inches as of 7 a.m. today, with 0.93 since 7 a.m. Friday. Maureen Keilty, who lives in the same subdivision, reported 0.25 inches as of 7 a.m. today.

There’s no way to say how long the monsoonal pattern will last, Strautins said, but, traditionally, the monsoons last from early July into early September.

Meteorologists and forecasters feed information from satellites, ground observations and balloons – launched twice a day from Grand Junction, Denver, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City and Flagstaff, Ariz. – into a computer to see patterns a couple of weeks out, Strautins said. The answer they get is broad, or regional.

“It’s hard to be precise,” Strautins said. “It’s hard to say it will rain this afternoon or over your house. We may not see a constant pattern because there can be a surge, and then it backs up.”

The weather service has predicted a 40 percent chance of rain for Durango today and a 30 percent chance tonight through Thursday night, with thunderstorms in the forecast through Sunday.

“The next few days won’t be as active as Monday,” Booth said, “but it will still reflect monsoon activity. Your part of the state stays pretty moist, focused in the mountains.”

The West Fork Complex, three fires in the mountains between Pagosa Springs and Creede, was 66 percent contained as of late Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service said.Fire activity has been minimal in recent days. The fires are burning in heavy stands of beetle-killed spruce and fir in the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests and on private land.Although the arrival of monsoon rains has gone a long way toward clearing the air, smoke from the fires can be expected to be visible for the next several days to weeks.The fires, the result of lightning strikes on June 5, cover 109,615 acres &#x2013; the West Fork Fire, 58,570 acres, the Papoose Fire, 49,628 acres, and the Windy Pass Fire, 1,417 acres.U.S. Highway 160 and Colorado Highway 149 are open.

High-elevation fire restrictions eased

As of Wednesday, San Juan National Forest lands at elevations above 8,500 feet will not be under any fire restrictions, while lower and middle elevation portions will be eased to Stage 1 restrictions, which include:Campfires are limited to permanent fire rings or grates within developed campgrounds.Smoking is limited to vehicles, buildings, developed recreation sites or 3-foot-wide areas cleared of vegetation.Acetylene and other torches with an open flame are prohibited.Use of explosives is prohibited.The restriction boundary line bisects the national forest from east to west, following identifiable jurisdictional boundaries, roads and trails at about 8,500 feet. Only those areas south of the line will be under the above-described Stage 1 restrictions.Also, fire managers recommend these safety measures, even in areas not under restrictions:Dispose of cigarette butts in an ashtray or other appropriate container.Make sure chain saws and other internal-combustion engines have approved, working spark arresters. Carry water, a shovel and fire extinguisher with you and operate within areas clear of flammable materials.Park vehicles in areas clear of vegetation.In higher-elevation areas where backcountry campfires are allowed, use established fire rings in areas clear of vegetation. Have a shovel and water handy, and put campfires out completely every time you leave camp. Pour water on the ashes and stir until there is no smoke and ashes are cool to the touch. Consider using a camp stove if possible.Fireworks are never allowed on federal lands, even where restrictions are not in place.